Cook Chinese...

Friday, January 11, 2008

5 Things… (meme)

Here are the questions and my answers….What were you cooking/baking 10 years ago?On my own? Nothing. But I was helping my grandfather to bake cakes for Christmas, Easter & other occasions. That’s how my adventure with cooking/baking begins in a first place.

What were you cooking/baking one year ago?What was on the top of my list? Iced buns (I think it’s called a Swiss Iced Finger). It looks like this:

I was also baking/cooking traditional polish Poppy Seed Cake & yeast-cake, Monkey bread and great casserole with broccoli, cauliflower, carrots & sunflower seeds under béchamel. There were more, but those above were my best.

Five snacks you enjoy:1. Cini Minis;2. Bacon Prunes;3. Chicken, rise and pineapple salad;4. cashew with raisins5. And most of crunchy snacks

Five culinary luxuries you would indulge in if you were a millionaire:1. large kitchen with traditional bread stove2. more expensive ingredients, like sea food3. sushi at least once a week4. really expensive (best quality) kitchen appliances like food-processor5. my very own wine-cellar (full of course)

Five foods you would love to cook/bake:1. crème brûlée2. Obelix’s style, whole wild boar3. few medieval (and older) traditional dishes4. to brew my own beer5. Mazurek Kajmakowy - basically it's a shortcake with fudge on top and looks like thisor this:

or however you want :} Generaly its traditional Easter cake, but ornamentation depends mostly on your ability and imagination.

Five foods you cannot/will not eat:1. milk – I have allergy2. raw meat3. anything cooked/baked with eyes4. tomato soup5. sweet meat (like made with raisins)

Five favorite culinary toys:1. meat rolling-pin (yup, that’s right – newest polish invention. It looks like normal rolling-pin, but has spikes like meat hammer/tenderizer). Look: It may spin, or you can tide up this screw to use it like a normal meat tenderizer. 2. silicon baking mold 3. whisk4. silicon brush5. special pannikin with flour sieve on the bottom, like this one here:

Combine the seasonings in a bowl and mix well. Rest of ingredients combine in a sauce pan and bring to a boil over high heat. When soup comes to a boil, add the seasonings, and keep over high heat for 2-5 minutes. Slowly add the beaten egg and then remove from heat. Place in bowls and garnish with minced green onions.

Preparation:Steam or microwave bok choy until wilted. Let cool, then drain and chop finely. Press out any excess liquid.

In a food processor, puree tofu with the egg whites. Add to bok choy. Add scallions.

Combine remaining ingredients, except for wonton wrappers.

Add to bok choy mixture, mixing well. Place about two teaspoons of filling in the centre of each wonton wrapper. Draw dough up and pinch together at three points to form a triangle, leaving middle of filling exposed.

Arrange on a heatproof plate or steamer tray and steam over boiling water until cooked through, about 4 minutes.

Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large skillet. Add garlic and onion, and saute for 2 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, combine crab, cream cheese, soy sauce and sauteed onion & garlic. Drop mixture by 3/4 teaspoon into the center of a won ton wrapper. Fold the wrapper in half to make a triangle. Seal the wrapper around the mixture by wetting your finger with cold water and pressing the ends together.

In batches, fry the dumplings in the prepared oil until golden brown. Drain on paper towels

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Paocai (Pickled Vegetables)

Some time ago I was working with korean girl. She was making best pickles I tasted so far. It was korean kimchi - very spicy with a lot of garlic. It's not only tasty, but also very healthy. Because of the basic ingredients in kimchi, garlic, scallions and vegetables, kimchi helps to eliminate cholesterol and promotes intestinal health. Chinese paocai is very similar to my beloved kimchi, so here it is:Ingredients:2 Chinese (or Italian) cabbages5-10 spring onions2-5 carrots1 tbsp salt (non-iodized sea salt is the best)1 tsp Sichuan pepper1 tsp fennel seeds3 star anise2-3 garlic cloves, crushed6 medium sized dried chilis

Preparation:Tear a cabbage into small pices. Chop the rest of vegatables. Mix everything together, add salt & than rest of ingredients. Put it all in a jar, pour water (just to cover the vegatables).

Your paocai should be ready after 2 - 3 days. You can preserve it in the fridge even for several weeks. For some more, you can continue to use the same liquid, just dump in new vegetables.

Monday, February 05, 2007

Carmelized Walnuts

Glazed walnuts are used as garnish or additon to many chinese dishes. But it may also serve as a great snack or elevenses. One way or another - here is recipe to prepare it:

Ingredients:1 cup walnut halves4 tbsp vegetable oil4 tbsp sugar

Preparation:Toast walnut halves over medium heat in vegetable oil and sugar until caramelized.

The edges might get a little brown- but that's normal.

Variations:Instead of sugar you may also use honey. Just mind to not sear it.You can use brown sugar if you like.Oil can be replaced with butter.A little pinch of cinnamon is tasty addition to your elevenses.

Remove chicken; reserve marinade. In a skillet, cook chicken in remaining oil until juices run clear. Meanwhile, in a saucepan saute walnuts in butter until lightly browned; remove and set aside. Set aside 1/4 of green onions for garnish. Add remaining onions to saucepan; saute until tender. Add reserved marinade and the next 8 ingredients. Bring to a rolling boil; boil for 2 minutes. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered for 5-10 minutes or until sauce reaches desired consistency.

Serve chicken over rice; top with sauce and reserved walnuts and onions.